V21 For God is closely watching you, and he weighs carefully everything you do.

V22 The wicked man is doomed by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.

V23 He shall die because he will not listen to the truth; he has let himself be led away into incredible folly.

It dawned on me that some readers might want to read all of this 5th Chapter of Proverbs and not just the verses highlighted in my own personal study. For you, the entire chapter follows as recorded in The Living Bible by Tyndale House Publishers 1971.

PROVERBS 5

1 LISTEN TO ME, my son! I know what I am saying; Listen!

2 Watch yourself, lest you be indiscreet and betray some vital information.

3 For the lips of a prostitute are as sweet as honey, and smooth flattery is her stock in trade.

4 But afterwards only a bitter conscience is left to you, sharp as a double-edges sword.

5 She leads you down to death and hell.

6 For she does not know the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail, and doesn’t even realize where it leads.

7 Young men, listen to me, and never forget what I’m about to say:

8 Run from her! Don’t go near her house,

9 lest you fall to her temptation and lose your honor, and give the remainder of your life to the cruel and merciless,

10 lest strangers obtain your wealth, and you become a slave of foreigners.

11 Lest afterwards you groan in anguish and in shame, when syphilis consumes your body,

12 and you say, “Oh, if only I had listened! If only I had not demanded my own way!

13 Oh, why wouldn’t I take advice? Why was I so stupid?

14 For now I must face public disgrace.”

15 Drink from your own well, my son – be faithful and true to your wife.